Day 1 | Depart gateway city
AHI FlexAir passengers depart for Cairo, Egypt. Please check your luggage from your gateway city to your arrival city. Your claim checks should have the following airport code: CAI.

Day 2 | Cairo, Egypt
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
Arrive at Cairo International Airport. Proceed through immigration to the baggage claim area and retrieve your luggage. After completing customs, AHI FlexAir passengers traveling on flights that qualify for the group arrival transfer and Land/Cruise Program passengers who have purchased seats on the group transfer should exit the baggage claim area and proceed to the designated meeting spot, where an AHI Travel representative will meet you. The meeting location will be provided with your final documents.

Transfer to the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza. Please note that if you arrive before check-in time, your room may not be immediately available.

Day 3 | Cairo
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
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Each morning, savor a sumptuous breakfast. Look forward to exciting discoveries as your Egyptologist brings ancient Egypt to life during your excursions!

Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). Today, tour this fascinating new museum — the largest dedicated to one civilization — that showcases extraordinary relics spanning ancient Egyptian history, including pre-history; the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms; and the Late and Roman period. This vast, modern complex provides a safe and protected environment for a dazzling collection of 100,000 artifacts, including 20,000 never exhibited. After passing through the soaring stone façade that pays homage to the neighboring pyramids of Giza, visitors enter the Grand Hall, a dramatic space dominated by a 36-foot-tall, 83-ton statue of Ramses II, and can ascend the Grand Staircase Gallery featuring 60 spectacular statues and artifacts. The twelve main galleries, arranged by time periods and themes, delve into the daily life, traditions, spiritual beliefs and burial customs of ancient Egypt.

Tonight, in the hotel, get better acquainted with your fellow travelers at a Welcome Reception.

Day 4 | Saqqara | Giza
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
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Saqqara. Journey to Saqqara, an immense burial site that served as the necropolis for the ancient capital of Memphis and visit the Mastaba of Mereruka and the Pyramid Tomb of King Teti. Saqqara is also home to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, considered the first pyramid. Before Djoser’s reign, tombs had been rectangular, flat-roofed structures made of dried clay bricks, known as mastabas, the Arabic word for bench. Over King Djoser’s 20-year reign, his architect Imhotep adopted a new plan of adding six stepped layers of stone above a square-based mastaba. When it was completed more than 4,600 years ago, it was the tallest structure of its time.

Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant.

The Pyramids of Giza. Stand before the awe-inspiring Great Pyramid of Giza, the sole surviving and oldest monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and a masterpiece of ingenious engineering. The largest of the three Old Kingdom pyramids in the complex, it was built for the pharaoh Khufu out of approximately 2.3 million massive blocks of stone. Standing guard nearby is the enigmatic Sphinx, a mythological creature with the head of a human atop a reclining lion’s body. Visit this imposing limestone statue, which stretches 240 feet in length and towers 66 feet overhead.

During today’s visit, you may have an optional opportunity to go inside the Great Pyramid. At the time of publication, the entrance fee, typically paid in Egyptian pounds, is EGP 1,500 (approximately USD 30). Price and exchange rate is subject to change by the time of travel.

Day 5 | Cairo
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
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Al-Muizz Street & Islamic Cairo. Walk with your guide along lively Al-Muizz, one of Cairo’s oldest streets, and take in its impressive collection of grand medieval mosques and Islamic landmarks. Tour the 13th-century Qalawun complex, which includes a madrassa, a historic hospital and a breathtaking mausoleum. Later, go inside the 17th-century Bayt Al-Suhaymi, a beautiful example of Ottoman architecture, to see the home’s decorative details such as the intricately latticed, wooden window grills known as mashrabiyas.

Free Time: Afterward, venture into the colorful Khan el Khalili bazaar on your own for a unique shopping experience.

Then, enjoy Egyptian specialties for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Coptic Cairo. This area of Old Cairo, the historic center of Christianity in Egypt, predates the city’s founding by the Fatimid dynasty in A.D. 969. Visit one of the oldest Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt, the Hanging Church, so named because of its location on top of the gates of a Roman fortress. Step inside to view the lovely interior adorned with icons. Continue afterward to the splendid Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, believed to be built over a cave where Mary, Joseph and Jesus once rested after fleeing to Egypt.

Day 6 | Cairo | Luxor
Sonesta St. George Hotel Luxor
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Very early this morning, check out of the hotel and transfer to Cairo’s airport for your flight to Luxor.

Luxor Museum. Through the museum’s informative and elegantly displayed exhibits, experience the glory of ancient Thebes as you admire artifacts collected from its temples and necropolis.

Afterward, travel to the Sonesta St. George Hotel Luxor, where you’ll enjoy lunch before checking in.

The Temple of Luxor. Aboard a felucca boat, sail along the Nile River and arrive at Luxor Temple. The complex’s construction began during the reign of Amenhotep III, and subsequent rulers, including Tutankhamen, Horemheb, Ramses II and Alexander the Great, added to it until 323 B.C. During the Opet Festival, one of ancient Egypt’s most significant religious festivals, statues of several revered deities were transported to this temple in processions from the Temple of Karnak.

Day 7 | Luxor | Embark ship
Sanctuary Nile Adventurer
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Luxor’s West Bank ~ The Valleys of the Kings & Queens. Visit the remarkable Valleys of the Kings and Queens, where New Kingdom pharaohs and their families awaited immortality. These once-hidden tombs were designed to resemble the passage to the underworld. Amazingly, the hieroglyphics that adorn the walls still spring to life with vibrant color. Explore Tutankhamen’s tomb and the Tomb of Seti I, among others. Then, below dramatic limestone cliffs, walk up the ramp that leads into the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, designed with sweeping, colonnaded terraces. Afterward, stop at an alabaster workshop. Continue to the tomb of Amun-her-Khepeshef featuring superbly preserved murals and then snap some photos at the majestic Colossi of Memnon.

Travel to the pier to begin your Nile River cruise. Embark the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer and savor a delicious lunch.

The Epigraphic Survey, The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago (Chicago House). Enjoy an exclusive visit to the Chicago House in Luxor. Here, the Survey preserves Egypt’s ancient cultural heritage through documentation, conservation and restoration. Founded in 1924, it has completed epigraphic surveys of important archaeological sites in and around Luxor and has produced numerous publications on ancient Egyptian monuments. These publications often represent the only reliable scientific documentation of endangered and deteriorating monuments. Learn more about their important work and see their unique documentation methods firsthand.

Day 8 | Karnak | Cruising the Nile
Sanctuary Nile Adventurer
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The Temple of Karnak. This morning, visit the Karnak Temple, an enormous complex spread across 60 acres. Within this important ancient religious center are numerous pylons, halls, smaller temples and chapels. In the Temple of Amun-Ra, gaze up in awe at the veritable forest of 134 gigantic sandstone columns as you wander through its great hypostyle hall.

After lunch on the ship, enjoy the ship’s amenities during your leisure time this afternoon. Later, watch from the rail as the ship passes through the Esna Lock.

Relish a satisfying dinner on board, followed by a movie night.

Day 9 | Cruising the Nile | Edfu | Kom Ombo
Sanctuary Nile Adventurer
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Pursue your own interests this morning as the ship cruises to Edfu. Perhaps you’ll admire the tranquil Nile scenery from your spot on the sun deck.

The Temple of Horus at Edfu. Go ashore to visit one of Egypt’s best-preserved shrines, built circa 237 B.C. and completed almost 200 years later. Its outstanding decorative reliefs have provided historians with invaluable details about ancient religious rituals and political life.

This afternoon, the ship sails to Kom Ombo. After lunch, gain insights during an engaging discussion with an Egyptologist.

Temple of Sobek & Haroeris. Arrive at Kom Ombo to explore the unusual, double temple complex of Sobek and Haroeris. The building’s symmetrical ground plan unifies two adjacent temples, one dedicated to the crocodile-headed Sobek, god of fertility, and the other to the falcon-headed Haroeris, god of the sky.

Tonight, enjoy an "Egyptian Night" party on the ship, featuring a wonderful buffet of Egyptian specialties and the opportunity to dress in traditional galabeyas.

Day 10 | Cruising the Nile | Aswan | Philae | Nubian Village
Sanctuary Nile Adventurer
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This morning, the ship arrives in Aswan, where it docks for the day.

Philae Temple Complex. Board a felucca and sail to the island temple complex of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis, for a guided tour. When the rising waters of Aswan’s High Dam threatened the complex’s beautiful structures in the 1970s, they were dismantled and reassembled on higher ground about 500 meters from their original site. Following your tour, learn about the ancient process of handcrafting papyrus at the Papyrus Institute.

Return to the ship for lunch.

Nubian Village. Take a guided stroll through a village lined with brightly painted homes, learn about local customs and be welcomed by a family for tea.

Tonight, at a festive Farewell Party on the ship, gather for a final celebration of your Egyptian adventure. After dinner, enjoy a Dervish show and belly dancer performance.

Day 11 | Disembark ship | Abu Simbel | Cairo
InterContinental Citystars Cairo
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After breakfast, disembark the ship in Aswan and transfer to the airport for your flight to Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel. Visit the colossal Great Temple of Ramses II, a monument that commemorates triumphs over the Nubians, Hittites and Syrians. Marvel not only at the structure’s gargantuan size but also at the mammoth feat of engineering that was required to reconstruct it on this higher ground, overlooking the Nile waters amassed by the Aswan Dam. Equally captivating is the smaller, neighboring temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor.

Depart for the Abu Simbel airport and fly to Cairo via Aswan. Upon arrival, refresh and relax in your evening room at the InterContinental Citystars Cairo prior to an early morning departure for your connecting flights home.

Day 12 | Depart for gateway city
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Very early this morning, AHI FlexAir passengers traveling on flights that qualify for a group transfer and Land/Cruise Program passengers who have purchased seats on the group transfer depart for Cairo International Airport for your return flights home. Your Travel Director will provide the details.

B | L | R | D denotes included breakfasts, lunches, receptions and dinners.